What does the average guy do with an AR?

This is a discussion on What does the average guy do with an AR? within the Defensive Rifles & Shotgun Discussion forums, part of the Related Topics category; Until yesterday I'd never fined (or really even held) an AR15 and now I kinda want one. So I'm trying to justify the purchase to ...

What does the average guy do with an AR?

Until yesterday I'd never fined (or really even held) an AR15 and now I kinda want one. So I'm trying to justify the purchase to myself and figure out what I'd do with one. I have several pistols that should be plenty for defending my house. I live in the suburbs, good neighborhood, small yards, houses fairly close together - so I'm not going to go defending my property with one as it would be overkill (no pun intended). I'm probably not going to use it to clear my relatively small house. Its fun to shoot and I'd like to go take some tactical rifle courses with it, but again am just trying to figure out what I'll do with it past that. I suppose maybe it'd be useful in a SHTF type scenario.

Just looking for some ideas to help justify the purchase I'm fairly certain I'm going to make.

Its the very reason that armys use rifles in a war. If they have to use their pistols they have screwed up somehow.

Every American should own a rifle for his own protection and the protection of his family. In a SHTF scenario, many people have AR's. The military, the cops, everyone. Ammo will be plentiful as it is very common.

Because a rifle is dramatically superior to a handgun in absolutely every way, except size/"concealability." In any real SHTF situation, a rifle will be infinitely more useful than a typical SD handgun.

A man fires a rifle for many years, and he goes to war. And afterward he turns the rifle in at the armory, and he believes he's finished with the rifle. But no matter what else he might do with his hands - love a woman, build a house, change his son's diaper - his hands remember the rifle.

Because a rifle is dramatically superior to a handgun in absolutely every way, except size/"concealability." In any real SHTF situation, a rifle will be infinitely more useful than a typical SD handgun.

So when some badness comes, I grab my BOB, throw my pistol on my hip and sling my AR over my shoulder? Obviously they are more powerful and accurate at a much longer range but a little more unwieldy to carry. Seems like it would be a bit of a big gun to clear my house with. What sort of situation would make you grab your AR over your pistol? Tornado? Terrorist attack either in your town or another 9/11 style one? The floods that are making people evacuate right now down south? I suppose it depends on what I'm going to do in that situation. stay at home, try and get to some other shelter, etc. Again, just trying to learn and figure out where an AR fits into the system with everything else since I'm so new to them.

I suppose I'm not the "average Joe" when it comes to the AR (or rifles in general), having carried one professionally for...a damn long time now. But there isn't much I can't do with an AR that I can do with a pistol. If I weren't as familiar with it, maybe I'd have different plans/priorities, but an AR is, at this point, more natural in my hands than any other firearm. I would grab it in 99% of the situations I might encounter where I thought a firearm might be necessary (and where having a rifle in my hands wouldn't be ENTIRELY socially unacceptable). Of course, YMMV - you should always choose the tool(s) that you are most familiar and comfortable with.

A man fires a rifle for many years, and he goes to war. And afterward he turns the rifle in at the armory, and he believes he's finished with the rifle. But no matter what else he might do with his hands - love a woman, build a house, change his son's diaper - his hands remember the rifle.

Average guys (like me) would get an AR just to take to the range and have some fun a few times a month, maybe get in to a few competitions or classes here and there just for the heck of it. Most of my firearm purchases are a result of thinking "hey, that would be cool to have around." Although I am sure that is how the majority here thinks.

I guess a lot of my "confusion" over what I'd do with one obviously stems from the fact that I have no experience with them. Maybe if I'd been using only throwing stars for a long time I'd wonder would I would do with a hand gun but I'm very comfortable with handguns now. To me with no AR experience the size of it is what seems would make it less versatile. It seems like a big gun to use to clear my smallish (~1300sq ft) house and yard where the longest shot I'd probably have to take would be maybe 25ft. But maybe after I go take some tactical rifle courses I'll feel different.